Jude Anthany Joseph-Antony Varghese dispute continues; producer Aravind releases statement supporting 2018 director’s allegations

“It is true that I took an advance amount after hearing the story. I signed the agreement thinking that they won’t cheat. But when I read the script, I felt confused. When I brought it up, they refused to discuss it and shouted at me. That’s how I decided to opt out of the project. 2018 was a spectacular work. I was blown away by it. While he should have been focusing on celebrating his success, Jude levelled these allegations against me for no reason. He misused his success to tarnish my image,” Pepe said during a press meet.

Subsequently, Jude Anthany stated publicly, during an interview with Radio Mango, that he was apologising to Pepe and his family members for hurting them. “I am currently sitting here, feeling regretful for speaking ill of poor Pepe. I made claims about him taking money for his sister’s wedding without even knowing if it was true. The timing of that incident coincided with his sister’s wedding, so I assumed he used the money for the event and later returned it. However, the manner in which I expressed these thoughts was unnecessary and insensitive. I should not have uttered those words. I realise now that my words must have hurt his sister and other family members. I genuinely apologise to them. I tried calling to apologise in person but was unsuccessful in reaching them. It’s understandable that they wouldn’t want to answer my call after the hurtful things I said. At that moment, I only thought about the producer, but I now realise I should have shown more restraint. The anger that was not inside just came out unnecessarily. It was pretty cheap of me,” he said.

However, it appears that the controversy is far from over, as Aravind KS, the producer who provided Pepe with the Rs 10 lakh advance payment for the mentioned film, has stepped forward and released a video statement detailing the entire incident. The film’s executive producer, Praveen Kumar, was also present. “Jude was the one who recommended Antony for the film, speaking highly of him, and we were impressed by Jude’s recommendation. Initially, we had agreed to provide Antony with an advance payment of Rs 2 lakh to commence the project. However, after a meeting with Antony, the production controller approached us and requested an advance payment of Rs 10 lakh instead, citing Antony’s urgent need. The reason given was that Antony needed the money to cover expenses for his sister’s wedding. Consequently, we made the decision to pay Antony the aforementioned amount, which was handed over to him on June 27, 2019,” Aravind said.

“Initially, when we presented the story to Antony, he had no reservations or uncertainties about it. We filmed the casting video in the first week of December and released it on December 5. Despite the initial difficulty in reaching him, Antony eventually cooperated, and we successfully completed the video. However, after that, he ceased responding to our calls. Our plan was to begin shooting on January 10 and continue for eight consecutive days. When Jude reached out to him on December 23, Antony expressed disinterest in working on the project. Despite the director’s attempts to persuade him, Antony made it clear that he had no interest. As a result, we requested the return of the Rs 10 lakh advance payment and an additional five per cent of the expenses incurred during the aforementioned processes.”

“However, Antony explicitly communicated to us that he would not reimburse the incurred expenses but would return the advance amount. Eventually, he repaid us on January 27, 2020, and all financial transactions were managed through the production controller. While some individuals questioned the need to make an issue out of it after the money was returned, it is crucial for them to recognise that the Rs 10 lakh was not the sole expenditure. We had invested a substantial amount in other aspects of the film, placing trust in the fact that Antony, who had already given his official commitment, would be part of it. The financial implications went beyond the advance payment. Involving Antony’s family in this predicament is distressing. However, once Antony withdrew from the project, the film came to a halt. Antony solely focused on his own problems during the press conference. As a result of him opting out, we ceased production and dissolved the company. My relationship with Jude is incredibly precious, and he was emotionally affected by the situation since it was my issue. Jude should not be burdened because of me,” the producer added.

Furthermore, Jude Anthany, following the Radio Mango interview, posted the agreement made between producer Aravind KS and actor Antony Varghese on his Facebook wall with a note saying: “Those who are interested in knowing the truth can read. Voice notes and chat screenshots behind.” He ended the post with the hashtag “#peppepunyalan” (Saint Pepe), which looks like a dig at the actor. Jude also stated that he would release voice notes and screenshots regarding the allegations soon.